BEIJING - The family members of former Chinese Communist Party General Secretary Zhao Ziyang expressed their great disappointment and anxiety at the CCP’s strict control of the arrangements of Zhao’s funeral, preventing the family’s participation.

Zhao, who died Jan. 17 and memorialized Jan. 29, had been punished and detained under house-arrest for more than 15 years until his death. He was purged from the government for his stand against the violent suppression of the students’ pro-democratic movement on Tiananmen Square in Beijing in June 1989.

Hundreds of uniformed and plainclothes police officers were guarding the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery during the funeral ceremony, blocking a large group of people from their attempts to mourn Zhao.

Zhao’s close relatives said they were not given a chance to express their wishes regarding the funeral, because the CCP took complete control. They were distressed that they had no control over matters usually decided by the family and that the party made things so difficult for the family.

The CCP locked the news of Zhao’s death before the funeral, and filtered the guest list, disallowing attendance by many people, including many invited by Zhao’s family.

Bao Tong, Zhao’s most trusted assistant, and many other dissidents were forbidden to leave their homes to attend the funeral. It was the CCP’s purpose to keep a low profile on the news of the death and of the funeral in order to prevent the funeral from becoming a rallying spot and potential flashpoint for those critical of the party.

A close relative of Zhao, who requested anonymity out of fear of being harassed by the CCP, said: “We very much wish those whom (Zhao) wanted to see and those who wanted to see him could all have a last chance to see him, but of course none of these people was given the approval.”

Outside the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery, many elderly protesters and hundreds of ordinary people were gathering, but none was allowed to enter.